Three top defenders — Fabian Johnson, Timmy Chandler, and Steve Cherundolo — are injured. So are their potential back-ups in Edgar Castillo and Jonathan Spector.

Carlos Bocanegra, who captained the team for years, was left off the roster because he's struggling to find his form overseas.

Cameron and Gonzalez started at centerback in the loss to Honduras last month, but they both struggled. Regardless of who starts against Costa Rica and Mexico someone will be playing out of their normal position.

There are still nine games left in World Cup qualifying. But if the US doesn't get at least three points from the next two games, things will get really dire.